CHATSWORTH, Calif.—As the world is all too aware, 2020 has been a year of massive upheaval. Like so many other major events in entertainment, sports and other arenas, the AVN Awards and AVN Adult Entertainment Expo have moved to the virtual space for their upcoming incarnations due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has changed the way we all live and work.
But the show must go on.
And as long as there's upheaval underway, AVN is introducing a brand new award to top them all for the 38th annual ceremony. Making its official bow at the 2021 AVN Awards, taking place January 23 and presented by MyFreeCams, AVN proudly unveils the Grand Reel—our freshly-conceived pinnacle honor for adult cinema. Modeled after the Palme d'Or bestowed each year at the royally esteemed Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Reel is intended to definitively recognize the year's most outstanding achievement in adult motion picture creation.
That's not the only new addition, but before addressing the rest, the thing you're all here for—to submit your productions, websites, retail products and other work of the past year to be considered for the 2021 AVN Awards, any and all adult industry professionals are invited to do so using the AVN Awards Pre-Nomination Site, located at:
If you were approved to use the Pre-Nomination Site last year, you may use the same login to access the site for this year's submissions. If not, you must fill out the sign-up form to request access here. Pre-nominations are also now open for the 2021 GayVN Awards, and industry members may request access to submit pre-nominations for that event in addition to or instead of the AVN Awards using the same application form. For any questions about access to or use of the Pre-Nomination Site, email AVN Senior Editor Peter Warren at [email protected].
The Pre-Nomination Site will close at midnight on September 30, and there will be no extensions of the deadline.
Note that once again, you may submit a maximum of FIVE (5) pre-nominations in any one category. With this in mind, we strongly urge all those participating in the pre-nomination process to take great care in what and whom they choose to submit for consideration, limiting it to the very best of the best selections within a given category.
And speaking again of categories (listed in full below), there are a few more new ones making their debuts, starting with the duo of Best Cultural Appeal Production and Best Cultural Appeal Series or Channel. Also—for this year only (knock on wood!)—we celebrate the efforts many adult performers have put forth to continue providing content under the singular circumstances of COVID-19 with Best Quarantine Sex Scene.
For more clarification on these or any other cateogries, be sure to mouse over the question marks beside each one in the Pre-Nomination Site for detailed descriptions, or find them all here.
Finally, be sure to carefully read through the following eligibility rules for the various types of categories in the Video & Web sector (Scene/Featurette, Full-Length Production, Series or Channel):
Eligibility Term
To be considered in any of the video categories, a production must be made available commercially between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020. If a sex scene or featurette is released both as a standalone work online and as part of a full-length production via DVD or VOD prior to or on the September 30 cutoff date, it will by default be considered part of the full-length production for attribution purposes. Any scene or featurette considered for a 2021 AVN Award will be void from future consideration thenceforth if included as part of any larger production released after September 30, 2020.
Full-Length Production Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any category recognizing full-length, multiple-scene productions, a work must be made available in its entirety by the end of the current eligibility term on a minimum of two qualifying platforms, with all content released under a unifying title on at least one of said platforms during the current term and originally released on any platform no earlier than the first date of the previous term. The two required platforms may consist of any combination of the following:
• DVD (must be stocked with at least 100 retail outlets)
• Membership website (i.e. site or network for a single studio or group of affiliated studios offering monthly paid memberships to access content)
• VOD/streaming site (i.e. site carrying productions from at least 100 active studio labels and offering monthly paid memberships or a la carte purchases to access content)
• Subscription broadcast network
Scene/Featurette Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any sex scene or featurette category, a work may be released either as a standalone segment on a membership or VOD/streaming site, or as part of a larger production released via any of the platforms listed above, in accordance with the following guidelines:
• If submitted as a standalone segment, release through only one qualifying membership or VOD/streaming site is required, however the scene/featurette must be solely and originally released as its own self-contained work during the current eligibility term.
• If submitted as part of a larger production, the scene/featurette must have been originally released no earlier than the first date of the prior eligibility term, and not previously considered for AVN Awards contention.
• Scenes/featurettes released solely though clip sites are not eligible.
Series or Channel Eligibility
To be considered for a nomination in any Series or Channel category, a line must meet one of the following criteria:
• Contains at least EIGHT (8) scenes/featurettes made available across two or more qualifying platforms by the end of the current eligibility term, with all released in the form of at least two volumes/productions on one or more of said platforms during the current term and originally released across all platforms no earlier than the first date of the previous term.
• Contains at least 12 scenes/featurettes all originally released on a single qualifying platform during the current eligibility term.
• If both criteria apply, all scenes/featurettes meeting either may be submitted for overall consideration of the series or channel.
(Note that any collection of fewer than eight scenes/featurettes released under a unifying title/volume number on any qualifying platform will be considered a “production” for classification/attribution purposes; in turn, the eligibility criteria pertaining to full-length production categories must be met for consideration there. Additionally, any series as defined above released in the form of multiple volumes/productions on any qualifying platform will by default be attributed with the title and company credits under which said productions were released.)
Record-Keeping Requirements
Producers must maintain 2257 records for any content submitted for AVN Awards consideration. In addition, any online content submitted must have clearly marked post/release dates within the eligibility term on the qualifying website(s) carrying it.
AVN asks producers to send two (2) copies of any productions they are submitting for consideration as DVD platform releases to the AVN office by September 30. Novelty companies should also provide two (2) samples of each product they would like considered. All items should be mailed or hand-delivered to:
AVN Media Network
Attn: Nominations
9400 Penfield Ave.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
The full list of categories for the 2021 AVN Awards follows (subject to change at AVN's discretion):
VIDEO & WEB
All-Girl Performer of the Year
Best Actor – Featurette
Best Actress – Featurette
Best All-Girl Group Sex Scene
Best All-Girl Production
Best All-Girl Series or Channel
Best Anal Production
Best Anal Series or Channel
Best Anal Sex Scene
Best Anthology Production
Best Anthology Series or Channel
Best Art Direction
Best BDSM Production
Best Blowbang Scene
Best Boy/Girl Sex Scene
Best Cinematography
Best Cultural Appeal Production
Best Cultural Appeal Series or Channel
Best Director – Comedy
Best Director – Drama
Best Director – Foreign Production
Best Director – Gonzo/Anthology Production
Best Director – Web Channel/Site
Best Double-Penetration Sex Scene
Best Editing
Best Featurette
Best Female Mixed-Age Production
Best Foreign Production
Best Foreign-Shot All-Girl Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Anal Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Boy/Girl Sex Scene
Best Foreign-Shot Group Sex Scene
Best Gangbang Scene
Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene
Best Gonzo Production
Best Gonzo Series or Channel
Best Group Sex Production
Best Group Sex Scene
Best Ingénue Production
Best Ingénue Series or Channel
Best Leading Actor
Best Leading Actress
Best Makeup
Best Male Newcomer
Best MILF Production
Best MILF/Female Mixed-Age Series or Channel
Best New Foreign Starlet
Best New Production Banner
Best New Starlet
Best Niche Production
Best Niche Series or Channel
Best Non-Sex Performance
Best Oral Production
Best Oral Sex Scene
Best Polyamory Production
Best POV Sex Scene
Best Quarantine Sex Scene
Best Screenplay – Comedy
Best Screenplay – Drama
Best Sexual Barter Production
Best Solo/Tease Performance
Best Soundtrack
Best Special Effects
Best Star Showcase
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Taboo Relations Production
Best Three-Way Sex Scene – B/B/G
Best Three-Way Sex Scene – G/G/B
Best Transgender Group Sex Scene
Best Transgender One-on-One Sex Scene
Best Transgender Production
Best Transgender Series or Channel
Best Virtual Reality Sex Scene
Clever Title of the Year
Director of the Year
Female Foreign Performer of the Year
Female Performer of the Year
Foreign Director of the Year
Grand Reel
Mainstream Venture of the Year
Male Foreign Performer of the Year
Male Performer of the Year
MILF Performer of the Year
Most Outrageous Sex Scene
Niche Performer of the Year
Transgender Performer of the Year
PLEASURE PRODUCTS
Best Enhancement Manufacturer
Best Fetish Manufacturer
Best Lingerie or Apparel Manufacturer
Best Lubricant Manufacturer
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Small
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Medium
Best Pleasure Product Manufacturer – Large
RETAIL
Best Boutique
Best Retail Chain – Small
Best Retail Chain – Medium
Best Retail Chain – Large
Best Web Retail Store
